


A Helping Hand

by Gingervora



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Tresspasser Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4835474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingervora/pseuds/Gingervora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rona Lavellan coming to terms with events in trespasser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Helping Hand

Her arm was gone. There was no way around it. Rona pulled on the formal outfit with some difficulty and she was tempted to call on someone to help her with the final touches, but the only people near the eluvian were the guards Cullen set to keep it out of any undesirables reaches and the one servant she did have she sent off to collect the Divine's Writ for the Inquisition.

"Rona?"

Her head shot up at the mention of her name. It wasn't the guards and certainly not the servant as they never addressed her by her first name. She would've recognized the voice the moment it sounded into the room but her head was still reeling with the conversation she had with Solas. That wasn't even mentioning the fact she had to watch as her arm dissolved, leaving her paralyzed with fear as she watched it break down inch by inch. For a moment she had feared it wouldn't stop past her elbow, and instead consume her, never letting her say good bye to her friends or family again.

She instantly threw a glamour over her missing arm. The sleeve still look like it was pushed up her elbow but a pale arm hung in its place. She tried to move it but it stayed still. For a moment she chastised herself for attempting to move it like it was still there. It was not and she was going to have to move on.

"Rona, are you alright?" Cullen asked, the worry written all over his face. He reached for her hands and she pivoted, putting her left arm out of his reach. His hand would go right through it and then what? "Did... how's the Anchor?"

She smiled as her stump began to ache. "I managed to find Solas before it went too far, but I no longer have the mark."

"Solas?" he questioned and his brows drew together. "So the agent of Fen'Harel was Solas?" 

"It's... confusing, but I'll tell you about it later. I need to get to that Exalted Council." Rona tried to move past him but he grabbed her right hand to hold her back. It wasn't a firm grip. In fact the gentle touch was what stopped her. She could've kept going, kept walking away and met up with the servant elsewhere.

"I think you need to finish getting dressed," he said though she could tell it was not what he wanted to say. A nervous laugh left her lips and she firmly planted her feet on the ground.

"Mind helping me? My finger aren't really working with me here." It wasn't that much of a lie. It was simply that she was missing a few fingers, though her working hand wasn't complying much with her either. Cullen gave her a small smile and knelt down on the ground, helping her with the belts and buttons she couldn't do herself. When he finished, he stood himself up and looked her in the eyes.

"Why are you using magic?"

"What?" Rona took a small step back.

He sighed. "Rona, as much as I've distanced myself from the Order, I still have the training of a templar. I can feel the magical energy."

She bit at her bottom lip and cast her gaze away from him. Why lie? Why keep this to herself? They were married after all. With vows that lost some of their meaning with the revelation that her gods were... not real. Rona pushed the thought away. Now was not the time for her religious crisis.

"I..." she began but trailed off. Perhaps it was better to show than to say. The glamour faded away, leaving just the stump in its place. She watched him as the revelation slowly dawned on him. Cullen's brows shot up, eyes widened, and jaw dropped so his mouth formed and 'O'. Apparently this was not what he expected.

"I thought you were on edge after your last trip in the eluvian. I never thought..." Cullen shook his head and pulled her into an embrace. She held on to him as best she could now , resting her head on his chest. He felt nice and solid, a pillar against all the confusing and inane things today. "Never mind what I thought. I'm here for you, now and always. I'm just concerned why you tried to hide it."

Rona took in a shaky breath. There was still so much to do but she could allow herself this moment. Tears pricked at the edged of her eyes and she wiped them away on his chest. "I panicked. I didn't want you to worry or- or-" She couldn't think of anything else. It wasn't like he was going to leave her or think she was incapable. Was... she embarrassed?

"Shh, it's alright." He began to smooth down her hair as a sob slipped her through lips. 

"I just... never thought this was even a possibility. I thought it would never change or that Solas could somehow remove it. Maybe I should've spent some of the last two years trying to fix my hand instead of just accepting that the Anchor was a part of me." Tears fell down her cheeks, wetting the fabric of his vest, and her nails dug into his back. "I should've done something. I should've done anything. Now a part of me is missing and I don't know what to do."

Cullen pulled away and leveled himself with her. There was something confident and strong in the way he looked at her. "You are Rona of Clan Lavellan, leader of the Inquisition, slayer of dragons, and savior of this world who knows how many times now. You are confident and proud and whole. You'll pull through this like you have every other time not just because those people out there believe you're in charge but because you know you're in charge." 

Rona looked up at him, tears held in long lashes and a quirk of a smile forming on red lips. "I need to get to the Exalted Council. I'm going to... disband the Inquisition."

A flash of surprise echoed across his features only for a second before it changed into something calm and knowing. "Good." Cullen's hands cupped her cheeks as he leaned down, their foreheads touching. "I know this is what you've wanted. Is there any way I can help?"

Rona shook her head only slightly. "No, I already called for the Divine's writ to be delivered to me. It shouldn't be long now, but if you want you could start informing your officers so they can start planning what they'll do next." She took in a shaky breath looked into his warm brown eyes.

"We should visit my sister," he blurted out. "If there's no more Inquisition, we could take some time for ourselves. Get our life in order, find a place to live, start a family."

"Creators-" Rona cut herself off. No, no more Creators. "That's all I want. I mean, there's still the matter of Solas, but it's not just on our shoulders. We'll have help."

"You didn't quite yet explain what the matter is with Solas."

"It's long... and complicated. I'd rather not explain it more than once, but I will soon. I promise." She bit at her bottom lip. "We could go live in Kirkwall. It's near Wycome where my clan is and apparently Varric has promised me an estate to go along with my new title, which I suppose makes you a comte now, doesn't it?"

"Maker, who knew I'd join the ranks of the nobility?" Cullen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Kirkwall... has it's problems, and with Hawke still as Champion and Varric as Viscount, it just might be livable."

"You wouldn't mind?" Rona asked. "I know so much happened in Kirkwall with you and many others. It wouldn't be ideal, but it could be a start."

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where we go. You, me, the mabari- I've forgotten to name the poor thing. Any suggestions?"

"Samahl," she answered instantly. The mabari Cullen had taken in was so sweet. Watching the two play together - excuse her - train together was exactly what he needed. Of course she had been thinking about names.

"Samahl? Is that elven? I was thinking of a more Ferelden name. He is a Ferelden dog," he said. Part of her was glad for such a mundane conversation after everything that happened recently. 

"Weren't they bred in Tevinter?" Rona pointed out. 

"That's a horrible, horrible rumor and I'm never going to believe that." She laughed the moment the servant returned, hair plastered to her skin and as breathless as one can be. In her hands, the Divine's Writ. "Looks like that's your queue. Good luck."

She took his hand into hers. "I will. I'll see you soon."

Cullen leaned in for a quick, chaste kiss. "I always do, my love."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, comments are always a nice treat for me. If anyone is interested in being a beta reader for upcoming fics, send me an ask on my tumblr @ commander-gingervora


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